Dalek Voice Changer Helmet

Do you know why Star Trek the Next Generation was so lame? It’s because the coolest thing that they ever came up for the series was the Borg — and that was just a lame second hand copy of the Daleks (well with a little bit of Blade Runner thrown in for fun, but you get the idea). Well now you can celebrate the superior bad guys with your very own Dalek Voice Changer Helmet:

Little Busters! Fan Video

Little Busters! (リトルバスターズ! Ritoru Basutāzu!) is a game based on a visual novel — the plot focuses on six female characters. The game has done so well that it has already inspired a manga. Here’s an official commercial for one of their titles to give you a better taste:

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Monster Hunter Portable 2G: Japanese Commercial

You can see from the above commercial that Sony is trying to go after the “girl game” market more and more — the above spot is for Monster Hunter Portable 2G from Capcom. The game allows you to hunt for monsters and other wild creatures.

Anime Match Game for the iPhone

There are three cool things about the iPhone game Anime Match 勝負 (caution: link launches you to iTunes):

1. It’s for free! Granted you get what you pay for these days, but if you’re a cheap fanboy that’s a plus in my book.

2. Despite the fact that the game has an Japanese interface it’s very easy to use. By the way it should be noted that Jirbo, Inc. who makes the game also has an English version — but that would make the game itself less cool, no?

3. The ever so cute icons of anime animals have a nice moe factor to them.

Here’s is a quick demo of the game:

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Everyone’s Songs: An Anime Music Video from 1987

The above animated short is from the long running Japanese series Minna no Uta (みんなのうた) which translates as Everyone’s Songs and has been on the air since 1961. The show is interstitial programming which runs there’s a five minute gap on NHK and the series focuses on introducing new songs and animators. The above 1987 film was animated by Taku Furukawa and the featured song is Kumo ha Haretara by Etsuko Sai. What I love about the animation is that it’s very Japanese in style and approach yet it’s not the typical look that you associate with anime. The other nice thing about is that the animation isn’t dated, which is pretty amazing since this music video is over 20 years old!

Space Cruiser Yamato to Rise Again

At long last it looks like Yoshinobu Nishizaki has come to a legal agreement under which he can revive Space Battleship Yamato (which is known to American fanboys as Star Blazers). As a long time fan of the show I have mixed feelings about this: On one hand I love the idea of the show being brought back to life for the first time in a serious way since the 80s — but yet Nishizaki has a record for making somewhat lackluster films like Odin and the fact that Leiji Matsumoto doesn’t bode well for me.

Here’s the official press release (which is from here and here) from a quick translation by my old friend Ed Hawkins:

Press Release – Yoshinobu Nishizaki

“In 2220 of the Christian Era … A crisis is approaching Earth, it is seen as the expansion of a moving black hole. An operation of immigration as progressed with moving over 300 million people from Earth … The latest transportation fleet is attacked during the immigration effort, yet is counter attacked by Space Battleship Yamato, now commanded by Susumo Kodai (38). Aboard, is daughter Miyuki … Child of Susumo and Yuki.”
 
The animated masterpiece “Space Battleship Yamato”, last scene in theaters 25 years ago, 73-year-old producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki, who worked on that film and the original anime series, declared that he wants his last work to be a new “Yamato” film. He said he hopes to surpass Hayao Miyazaki’s latest effort, “Gake no Ue no Ponyo.” To achieve that, Nishizaki has founded Yamato Studio, based in Nerima, Tokyo.

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Transformers: More USB Connections Than Meet the Eye

The more I see cool collectables like the Transformers – Autobot Logo USB Hub the more I want to ditch my current ugly civilian USB hub. The best part of the above hub is that it lights up when connected (in addition to making you smile and earning snarky remarks from your more mundane coworkers).

Found via nerdapproved.com.

Luke I’m your — cute little daughter!

I sense that the Force is very cute in this one! I’ve now had to view tons of photos from the Comic Con last week and I think this above shot by Bonnie Burton titled Pink Vader Princess wins my best in show award. The idea of putting together the stark contrast of Vader with a pink ballerina motif makes or an innovative fangurl fashion statement.

The Princess and The Frog: New Teaser Trailer

The idea of Disney getting back to 2D animation makes me happy and I think the idea of some diversity in the princess department is long overdue, but this latest trailer for The Princess and The Frog seems a bit lacking. Well until I see more I’ll have to give them the benefit of the doubt…

Susie Q Smiles

I just love the character designs in this mid-century modernist Pepsodent commercial — it’s amazing when you think of how much work that was put into a TV spot at the dawn of the medium. The animators also did a nice job with Susie’s walk cycle and those potential geeky boyfriends (one wearing a bow tie!) coming in from off screen just add to the energy which is pumped up by the cool Jazz drum beats.

Galaxy Boy Troop: Ancient Anime Puppetry

Before the classic anime version “Astro Boy” (“Tetsuwan Atomu”) in 1963, there were a couple of partially animated tries at bringing Tezuka’s manga creations to TV. Previously “Tetsuwan Atomu” had been adapted as a live action TV series with an animated prologue in 1959 (shown above). Then in 1963, Mushi Production teamed up with the Takeda Puppet Troupe to adapt his manga “Galaxy Boy Troop” (“Ginga Shonen Tai”) for 2 seasons of TV:

What caught my interest besides the puppet work was most of the effects are being cel animated. It’s well known that TV posed an enormous challange for animation production since the schedule and budgets were extremely tight. So one assumes that the puppets were cheaper and very likely faster than animation.

However in this circumstance, while cel animation was economic for special effects, I’m guessing that miniature effects weren’t. Then again all those miniature effects really ace it for Gerry Anderson’s science fiction puppet shows (“Thunderbirds”, etc.). Though perhaps the cel animation was something to give Tezuka’s Mushi Animation company a piece of the pie. The first episode actually aired after the all anime “Astro Boy”
premiered and for all intents eclipsed it.

Apparently most of the ninety-two 15 minute episodes have been lost or destroyed. Only some examples subtitled for French broadcast in 1964-5 have survived, hence the giant French subtitles from the 1960s. …Hmmm, the notion of a subtitled kids shows is something to think about.

Kinosuke Takeda (1921-1979) was the man behind the puppets. I’ve not run into much info about him though the Takeda name has been associated with mechanical dolls since the 17th Century and there is a museum theater displaying his work. Another Takeda still performs there, most probably his brother. He and his team made other science fiction puppet series in the 1960s that were not based on Tezuka’s characters. I’ve seen an episode of “Spaceship Silica” from 1961 and “Aerial City 008” from 1969 on NHK’s “Puppet Chronicles” series of DVDs. All have scores by Isao Tomita who’s best known for his “Kimba the White Lion” music as well as his excellent synthesizer arrangements of classical music from the 70s. Recently he scored a “Black Jack” anime feature based on Tezuka’s characters.

Nick Kent is a New York based artist who works with electronic media and is an occasional pop culture pundit.

Original T.I.E. Fighter for Sale: The Empire Sells Out

If you’re a well-to-do Star Wars fanboy you should know that bidding on this little goodie starts at $170,000.00 on eBay:

Original T.I.E. Fighter from Star Wars: A New Hope

“Original T.I.E. Fighter filming miniature and original camera reports from Star Wars: A New Hope. (TCF, 1977) During the nail-biting assault on the Death Star in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, this is the actual filming miniature of the T.I.E. Fighter that bumps into Darth Vader’s fighter knocking him out of the trench, allowing Luke to destroy the Death Star. This historic piece is from the collection of Academy Award-winning Visual Effects wizard, Richard Edlund. The design concepts for the T.I.E. (Twin Ion Engine) Fighters of the Galactic Empire originally came from Colin Cantwell and Ralph McQuarrie. Joe Johnston, who was the visual effects art director and overall storyboard artist for the entire trilogy was very involved in the final finessing of the ships and Death Star designs.

Only four T.I.E. Fighters were built for the first Star Wars film. Grant McCune, head of the model shop, used a fairly heavy but stable resin for the body of the ship and other resins for the tinier parts. It has a central hollow aluminum knuckle with six-way threadings for top, bottom, front, back, left and right side mounting options with 11/16 in. hollow threaded rods as wiring conduits which attached to the various self-lit neon blue pylons. The hexagonal wings are created of fine expanded metal sheeting. Much of the intricate design detail was robbed from plastic model kits, then modified and affixed.

While the rebel ships appeared worn from use with dents, primer spots, oxidation and oil streaks, the Imperial Forces’ equipment was always pristine and appeared in top-notch condition. The corner of the right wing in this fighter was purposely distressed to exhibit the damage resulting from the collision with Vader’s ship; however, this model was also used in its pristine state in other sequences of the film. Included are two original camera reports, dated December 15, 1976, describing the technical details of the shooting day on which this model was filmed. The scene is labeled “417” and entitled, “Vader Wanks Out”; “Edlund” is listed as the cameraman. Also included is a color image of this model on its rigging in front of a blue screen as it was shot for the film.”

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Liquid Lake on Titan

Sadly you won’t be able to swim in this lake as it’s made of ethane which is a liquid solution of methane, nitrogen and other low-molecular weight hydrocarbons:

Cassini instrument confirms liquid surface lake on Titan

“Scientists have confirmed that at least one body in our solar system, other than Earth, has a surface liquid lake. Using an instrument on NASA’s Cassini orbiter, they discovered that a lake-like feature in the south polar region of Saturn’s moon, Titan, is truly wet. The lake is about 235 kilometers, or 150 miles, long.”

Joker Kubrick and Bearbrick

I got to see the Batman character that Kubrick did in this series and he wasn’t half as impressive as the Joker. I guess that’s because bad guys are always more interesting character studies than caped crusaders:

Joker Kubrick and Bearbrick

“Whereas the Batman is straight-laced and numbingly sober, the Joker is loosey-goosey. If he were candy, he’d be two packs of Twizzler. Jokey doesn’t need libations to get the party started and you can always count on the former Arkham inmate to sport a big red smile. Medicom’s upcoming Joker Kubrick measures 7cm or 2.75” in height and is dressed in a green vest that’s covered by a purple trench coat. Thick eye shadow gives his face the raccoon look that Goth girls strive for while bright green hair provides a vibrant contrast to Joker’s pallid complexion.

The Joker Kubrick figure is accompanied by a ghastly Bearbrick with a bloody smile and a body that’s charred in select spots. The words, “Why So Serious” are etched across its chest in jagged red letters. In the Dark Knight movie, the Joker recounts a story from his childhood where his father says those words to him before performing minor surgery.”

Interviews with the Cast of Watchman

Sadly I don’t find these interviews encouraging, although the fanboy in me is keeping my fingers crossed that they’ll do the film well.

An Amazing Converse Commercial

I was watching Adult Swim and came across this amazing commercial for Converse sneakers. As a youth as a designer I use to look down my nose at ad agencies which had long since passed their golden age of creativity in the 60s, but I have to say over the last few years the creative work I’ve been seeing is putting most designers to shame.

This spot incorporates a black and white xerox feel combined with cut out paper animation (like what you;d see in an 80s MTV music video). The entire commercial would be impossible with a computer, yet the animators managed to make it look like traditional animation. The second you get use to the technique in the spot they pull another trick to take the animation to the next level. As a designer I also love the fact that branding isn’t pushed in your face — in fact you want to watch the spot until the end to find out who the sponsor of the spot is.

Credit for the commercial (which is titled Converse: My Drive-Thru) goes to Psyop. The song is performed by N*E*R*D*, Santogold and Julian Casablancas.

Found via dekku.blogspot.com.

Niko Henrichon: Four Reasons He’s Fantastic

Here are four reasons why I’m impressed with Niko Henrichon’s cover illustration for Fantastic Four: True Story #1 which is due to hit comic book shops on Wednesday:

1. Draftsmanship: I always hate how so many comic book covers always feature overly tight artwork, in this case Henrichon does a great job of making the characters cartoony looking enough although while managing at the same time to make them look realistic. He manages to use a nice pencil technique which is very wild around the edges but held within a very tight structure. I love the fact that you can see the pencil line in this illustration.

2. Lighting: This cover has a sort of water color feeling to it which makes it pop out from the usual over saturated moody dark look that’s too common these days. On this cover Henrichon is giving the characters a believable dimension which makes them pop off the page. His light source is also coming off of the upper right of the illustration which is unusual. Also by having the background show a bit of white you get this ambient quality of being under water or in outer space.

3. Coloring: The entire illustration is held together with a cool palette of greens and blues with just a dash of yellow to warm things up. Henrichon is using color to pop each character out of the background. My guess is that Henrichon did the coloring on the computer but the illustration looks like it was done with water colors or even spray markers. With those light white streaks in front of Invisible Woman he cheats a little, but doesn’t over do it.

4. Composition: There is a dynamic triangle of characters which is frames by the rocks — you’ve got the Human Torch at the head of the arrow and Thing and Mister Fantastic anchoring the left and right sides. Invisible stands in the center of the composition with the exploration craft above her head (nice mecha by the way).

Search for Class M Planets Hitting the Tipping Point?

It’s still sometimes amazing for me to think that we’ve discovered over 300 planets in the last 25 years — however the start of the search for extra terrestrials won’t be really believable until we find some planets that look like Earth instead of Jupiter. According to this article we may not be closer to find planets exactly the size of Earth, but we may be getting closer to finding more rocky planets which are about five times the size of our home:

New Technologies Accelerate Search for Earth-Like Planets to Tipping Point

“A great new age of the discovery of Earth-like planets has reached the tipping point, according to Harvard Professor of Astronomy Dimitar Sasselov, who heads the Origins of Life Initiative said after the International Astronomical Union (IAU) symposium held this May . “We can say this is the moment where we started the exploration of planets like Earth.” The symposium’s focus was “Transiting Planets,” or the technique of discovering planets by measuring changes in the light of distant suns when a planet passes in front of them.”

Mummy Mickey Mouse: Vinyl Collectible Doll

It’s great to see Disney taking a chance to breath some life (or death) into their iconic star Mickey Mouse:

Vinyl Collectible Dolls Mummy Mickey

“The fashion house of Roen teams up with Medicom once again to create a version of Mickey that few ever get to see. In his latest Roen designed turn, Mickey gets bandaged up like a mummy but not quite all the way. Instead of a neat and concise wrapper that covers the rodent’s entire body, the bandages are loose and haphazardly arranged. Other notable features include a paintbrush in Mickey’s right hand and a tongue that hangs loosely from the Mickster’s mouth. ”

Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures

I’m damned impressed with this: It’s a trailer for the game Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures by Telltale Games and I’m blown away by how good a job they did of capturing the look-and-feel of Aardman Animations famous claymation technique.

A Fanboy Summer Treat: Almond Crunch Bar

I count myself as very lucky as my local grocer Sunac Natural (located at 440 Union Ave., Williamsburg Brooklyn) always has a nice selection of various Japanese goodies. During the Summer one of my favorite treats is their selection of ice cream — in this case I got a chance to sample a box of White Rose Almond Crunch Bar which was quite the tasty treat. The nice thing about the ice cream was that each serving wasn’t super sized so I didn’t have to feel to guilty about having a little treat.

Star Trek Online Game Announced

Good news for Star Trek gamer fanboys:

Cryptic Studios Licenses Rights to Produce Star Trek Online

“Trek Fans Worldwide Are Invited to MMO Gamplay Reveal at Annual Star Trek Convention August 10, 2008 or Via Live Webcast at startrekonline.com. Cryptic Studios a leading developer and publisher of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), announced today that it has secured the global rights to develop and publish Star Trek Online, a massively multiplayer online game based on the legendary Star Trek franchise, from CBS Consumer Products.”

Found via timetravelisawesome.com.

Own a Back to the Future Hoverboard

Was Back to the Future II made 19 years ago? Ouch! Well if you can’t afford to time travel you can still own a chunk of your youth for a mere $30,000 to $50,000 as the hoverboard that Michael J. Fox used in the last two Back to the Future films is now for sale on eBay:

Michael J. Fox hoverboard – Back to the Future II

“This is one of the hero Mattel Hoverboards used by Michael J. Fox in his most famous role as “Marty McFly” in the Robert Zemeckis classic 80s trilogy, Back to the Future. Two styles of Hoverboard were made for and employed in the film – lightweight boards of styrofoam construction and thick and durable wood-based props – this example is the latter, and is recognized as the best example of all wood Hoverboards to have survived the rigors of filming. The illusion of Michael J. Fox as “Marty McFly” hovering through the air was achieved with practical effects, with actors in rigged harnesses being “flown” via cranes, with special effects taking care of the rest.

Of the two styles of props used in the film – styrofoam and wood – the styrofoam examples in collections today have not held up as well, given the more fragile nature of the material and the abuse they endured in production. Few wood examples have survived, and the collector who obtained this specimen from the prop master chose this for his personal collection as the premiere example of those preserved following the film. It is in used but outstanding condition, and is very rare in that it is entirely complete and intact. Given the wood build and use of metal components, it looks and feels like a “real” prop. This piece has the complete fully functional and rear ballbearing-mounted footpad that rotates 360 degrees, as well as the bottom “magnet plates”. Of the two styles of stickers used for the effects, this prop has the “photoboard”-style sticker affixed. In addition, there is other textured styling and hand painting. This Hoverboard also features the hole in the top, representing where the handlebars were that “Marty” pulled off after borrowing the “toy” from the little girl in the film.”

Found via ohgizmo.com.

White Knight Two Ready for Testing

I get excited about stories like this because commercial space travel is exciting, the only down point is the high cost that prevents us middle class fanboys from taking a well deserved vacation in orbit:

White Knight Two space rocket in Mojave Desert for testing

“Sir Richard Branson’s dreams of operating the world’s first commercial spaceline will move a step closer today when he unveils his new space rocket. The billionaire will present White Knight Two to the world in the searing heat of the Mojave Desert – ahead of the first proper flight which is expected as early as next year.

White Knight Two will be the mothership, on which a much smaller spaceship will sit until it is projected into sub-orbital space flight at a certain altitude. Designs for both White Knight Two, which is the world’s largest aircraft made entirely from carbon composite, and the smaller SpaceShip Two were unveiled in New York in January.”

…By the way Branson has real class: I understand that one of the two ships will be named Spirit of Steve Fossett after after the aviator who went missing last year.